Changed
by Nokito-chan
Summary: They grew up - and everything changed. Fluff! NejiTen. Rated M. Don't like, don't read. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I've divided this into 2 parts – so please let me know if it is worth continuing ^_^  
Warning: This is a VERY fluffy piece so a lot of OOC-ness may occur!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**_

* * *

**_Changed: Part 1_**

Neji stared at the gyrating bodies beneath the flashing lights, wishing he was anywhere but here. Why he'd been invited to Kiba's sister's wedding in the first place completely mystified him. He knew neither the bride nor the jounin she was marrying. His connection with the bride's younger brother could be described as a passing acquaintanceship at best – Kiba was Hinata's teammate, not his. Despite having worked with Kiba on missions in the past they had never really struck up a friendship. Neji didn't make friends easily – he didn't need to – and the few friends he _did_ have weren't all his friends by choice.

Still, none of that had seemed to matter, and he'd received the heavily engraved parchment invitation same as Hinata and Hiashi-sama had. He remembered thinking, at the time, that they'd probably felt it would be rude to invite Hinata only but he'd revised that opinion as soon as he'd arrived at the wedding – it seemed everyone in Konoha had been invited – and spent the rest of the evening kicking himself for allowing Hinata to manipulate him into coming. She must have known about the extensive guest-list but that hadn't deterred her from nagging incessantly about how rude it would be if he declined after they had gone to all the trouble to invite him specially. Only now did he realize how much she had benefitted from their training sessions – she'd become a lot more confident - not too long ago Hinata would've jumped into a burning pit before telling him what to do. Really, he was beginning to have a bad influence on her, and she used to be such a sweet, pliable girl. Neji shook his head regretfully, torn between admiration for Hinata's successful manipulation techniques, and disgust at his own gullibility. In the end, he'd given in, more for the sake of his sanity than out of any real appreciation for the Inuzukas' gesture.

Now, here he stood, at a crowded bar, in a dimly lit room – if you could count the spinning, multi-colored flashes as lighting – only to find that he'd been suckered into attending an event where no one really cared whether he was present or not. He was going to kill Hinata. Tomorrow. Definitely. But for now, tonight, he'd given himself over to the inevitable and so he'd done the only thing that had made sense in his current predicament – he'd consumed a reasonable amount of sake. The alcohol had done the job and he was quite relaxed, though far from actually enjoying himself.

His mouth twisted with distaste as another scantily clad young woman brushed against him deliberately, under the guise of stepping up to the bar. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd had to insist that he was _not _looking for company tonight or any other night - to members of both sexes. For the umpteenth time he wondered what it was about a man having long hair that made people think that he swung both ways – that was a fairly sexist assumption – but he'd given up on explaining that line of reasoning - it had, unfailingly, been met with blank stares - by the third inebriated come-on he'd had to endure. _Don't even think about that, _he told himself firmly. Losing patience with the girl that was still throwing seductive looks up at him every so often – despite the fact that Neji had made damned sure not to look in her direction at all – he moved away, closer to the edge of the bar, and the doors that led to the terrace which skirted the edge of the dance floor.

With something close to relief he spotted Shino leaning against the bar, next to the door. True, he didn't know Shino any better than he knew Kiba, but at least it was someone he recognized, and maybe if it looked like he was with another person the come-ons would stop. Decision made, Neji headed straight for the Aburame, and gave him a quick nod when he leaned against the bar next to him, angling his body to make sure it looked as if they were engaged in a discussion. Thankfully the music was too loud to really carry on a conversation, so he wouldn't be expected to make small-talk.

Neji sent a quick glance over the crowded dance-floor once he'd settled himself in his new position, and, having found Hinata dancing with Sakura, and looking in no way as if harm would befall her at any time in the near future, he relaxed somewhat. Of course, she was the reason he was still here, or he would've left the second the ceremony had been concluded. But no, Hinata wanted to _dance _and how could he leave her in this kind of atmosphere? Heaven alone knew what would happen to her if he did – she'd become more confident but she was still innocent Hinata and, therefore, a dream come true for any predator whose eye she caught - it was his duty to protect her after all.

Resigning himself anew to the long night ahead, Neji allowed his gaze to sweep idly over the dancers. A flash of white skin caught his eye, and for a moment Neji allowed his gaze to settle on the dancing girl. Her skin was pale, without being pasty, and contrasted nicely with the midnight blue of her dress. Though, in Neji's humble opinion, what she was wearing could hardly be called a _dress. _There was far too little of it for that. It was some sort of strapless affair that clung closely to the curves of her body, and ended in a short, ruffled skirt that barely came to mid-thigh, though Neji had to concede, it _was_ rather fascinating - the way the skirt flared out when she moved. He found himself nearly laughing at the ingenious way women had of designing clothes to tempt when it became obvious that though the ruffles were flaring flirtily away from her body, they were sewed on to the actual dress which clung to her legs tightly. A glance around showed him that he was not the only one who had been staring at her legs, and the way the skirt flared when she twirled – promising everything but in actual fact revealing very little. Though she _did _have nice legs, Neji admitted to himself. Toned without being overly muscular, shapely and long – and why did the way she moved seem so familiar? Neji frowned. Locating the still twirling girl, he swept his gaze up her body this time – to her face. And nearly choked on his drink when she turned and the light fell full on her very familiar features. _Tenten? _Neji eyed his one-time teammate incredulously, taking in the long, dark hair swinging in a silken cloud around her shoulders, her curvaceous body, and that sinful dress that he had just been admiring. Oh, dear Kami in heaven, he'd been admiring _Tenten. _

Carefully, Neji replaced his half-drunk cup of sake on the bar – if he was ogling Tenten he'd definitely had more than enough to drink. _At least that explains why she seemed so familiar. _Still half dazed, and caught between disbelief and admiration, Neji smirked at his nonsensical thoughts, his near instinctive reaction. What did it matter if it was Tenten after all? So she had once been his teammate, so he'd watched her grow up, so what? He was still male, and if she was dressed like that then she couldn't expect him not to look. Defiantly he reached for the sake again.

Maybe he hoped to drown out the little voice in the back of his mind that whispered that he didn't mind so much about looking at Tenten himself, it was all the other men lining the bar and practically drooling over her that had his gut twisting with new and uncomfortable emotions.

Having reached the conclusion that it didn't matter that it was Tenten – and having pushed the other thoughts to the back of his mind - Neji quite happily gave himself over to the visual pleasure inherent to watching Tenten dance. Of course, he'd been watching her move for years, but it had never occurred to him that the grace she displayed when launching her weapons or whirling into a taijutsu move could be translated to something as frivolous as dancing. Not that he was complaining.

A hand on his shoulder yanked Neji out of his pleasurable past-time, and with a start he saw Lee standing next to him, for once not wearing green spandex, but a surprisingly tasteful pair of black trousers and a black dress-shirt. "How long have you been there?" he asked Lee in surprise.

Lee's eyebrows rose, it was unheard of for anyone to catch Neji by surprise. "Not long," he replied before turning to the barman and ordering a drink. While Lee was occupied, Neji shot another glance towards the place he'd last seen Tenten, and, for the second time, nearly choked on his sake. She was surrounded, literally _surrounded, _by men, all of them casting appreciative glances at her spinning form as she danced in the middle of the circle they'd created.

Another hand on his shoulder had Neji glancing back at Lee again. "You know, Neji, maybe you shouldn't glare at them like that. Tenten would never forgive you if you ruined her love life again." Neji turned his glare on Lee, not really registering the words except for 'love life', before he caught on, "What do you mean _again_?" he asked testily.

Lee laughed, "Oh, come on, Neji. You must know about the effect you had on Tenten's would-be suitors when we were younger. Her love life is only now recovering from the blow you dealt it in our teens."

"I have no idea what you mean," Neji retorted coldly. Lee's eyebrows arched, "Neji. Remember when we were, what, about fifteen or sixteen? And Tenten got asked out on a date for the first time?" Neji met Lee's gaze squarely, and forestalled the rest of the story with a tense, "He interrupted my training."

With an incredulous look, Lee said wryly, "Neji, you gentle-fisted the poor boy straight into a hospital bed, where he remained for nearly a week!" Stubbornly, Neji shook his head, "He interrupted my training," he repeated. Lee sighed in defeat, "Whatever you say, Neji, the point remains that the rest of the teenaged male population at the time learned from that poor boy's mistake, and didn't go anywhere near Tenten after that. It's only since we've been working together a lot less that Tenten has been having a bit of a revival in the romance department."

Neji glared at Lee again, "I fail to see how that is my fault. If they didn't have the guts to ask her even if they _were _afraid I'd hit them – which I wouldn't have done so long as they didn't interrupt my training – then they weren't worth her time anyway. And what do you mean a 'revival'? How do you know all this?" Neji eyed Lee suspiciously.

Lee sighed, "Tenten told me. You've been gone a lot lately or else you'd have known, too. And I'm not having this conversation with you. I have no desire to watch you beat another innocent man into a coma – once was enough." Lee turned and walked away, leaving Neji staring after him in frustration, "What revival?" he called after Lee, in the faint hope that an answer would be forthcoming, but Lee simply waved a hand over his shoulder.

The rest of Neji's evening was spent in a tense silence as he alternated between watching over Hinata and watching over Tenten - although Hinata didn't bear watching nearly as much as Tenten did. It had been common knowledge for years now, how Hinata felt about Naruto – to everyone but Naruto that is - and she was sticking close to the blonde's side. Neji had no doubts that Hinata would be safe with Naruto – he was clueless in the first place, and in the second, he would definitely defend her honor should she receive any unwanted attention. No, as much as Neji wished he could be called upon to protect Hinata – and, therefore, get the hell out of here – it was Tenten who was making him incredibly nervous, surrounded as she was with a constant stream of admirers. It didn't help to tell himself that Tenten was a big girl, and that she could take care of herself – because she'd consumed one alcoholic beverage after another. All bought for her by one panting male after another, and Neji was damned if he would let any of them reap any benefits from trying to get her drunk. Critically, he ran an assessing eye over Tenten – her movements in particular – and was pleased to note that she was completely steady on her feet. A little tipsy, perhaps, but definitely far from the plastered state the surrounding fan-club obviously wanted her in.

He sighed, and gritted his teeth, as Tenten moved into another man's arms. Was she planning to dance with every damn man in the place? Neji's eyes narrowed as he recognized the current dance partner from earlier – this had to be the third dance he'd claimed. In growing consternation, Neji watched as, through the course of the next few songs, the rest of the men faded away. _Great. Now what? _Obviously the guy was staking a claim, and the rest of them were abiding by the lady's choice but there was no way on this earth that he was allowing Tenten to leave with that man. He was obviously only after one thing. Really, Neji's honor demanded that he stop Tenten from making a drunken decision that she would regret come morning. Staunchly he told himself that he would've done exactly the same for any of his other friends.

Just to add insult to injury – Neji was sure fate was mocking him tonight – the song changed to one with a much slower beat. Gritting his teeth he watched as Tenten moved closer to the man, and abruptly he decided that, once the song finished, he was taking Tenten home, whether she wanted to go or not. His resolution to try and be polite about it lasted only as long as it took the man to slide a hand down her back to trace fleetingly over her shapely rear.

Not even bothering to think through the action, Neji marched onto the dance floor and unceremoniously pushed in between them. "Mind if I cut in," he very nearly snarled, and, with one look at the deadly serious intent on Neji's face, the man hastily raised his hands, "No, not at all." Neji didn't spare him any further thoughts as he looked down at Tenten. "Neji," she sighed, winding her arms around his neck, "are you dancing with me now?"

Neji swore inwardly, obviously he'd miscalculated her alcohol intake – she was far more intoxicated than he'd thought. _Must've been the ninja reflexes and balance that fooled me_, he realized grimly. She hadn't even had that much to drink, much less than he had, for example, but, obviously she couldn't handle alcohol.

"Come on, we're going," he ground out, taking her elbow to propel her forward. To his surprise she didn't argue. "Okay," Tenten agreed, holding on to his arm quite happily as they made their way across the dance floor and out into the night.

* * *

Neji tried to ignore the pounding headache that had developed somewhere between the wedding venue and Tenten's apartment. The fresh air had done Tenten absolutely no good; instead, she seemed to become more and more giggly the further they went. The fourth time she'd stumbled on her delicate, high-heeled shoes, Neji had given up on propriety and wrapped an arm firmly around her waist. The strange thing was that she didn't seem to mind, she'd leaned into him contentedly. He'd been completely wrong-footed by the soft, trust-filled smiles she kept directing at him and now this, when they'd finally made it to Tenten's apartment, albeit with many false stops and starts.

"What do you mean you don't have the key?" he asked Tenten, fighting to hold on to his patience. She giggled. "Is okay," she said, happily, "I'll climb in the window." Neji closed his eyes as he rubbed a hand across his face. "What window, Tenten? You live on the fifth floor. In your state you'd fall and break your neck."

She frowned in concentration, "I won't. I'm a ninja." She looked at him in confusion, and suddenly Neji felt a bit guilty at being so short with her. Resolutely he pushed the thoughts away, but when he spoke again, his voice had gentled. "Come. You'll have to come home with me. In the morning, we'll come back and get the superintendent to open with the master key. It's too late to bother him now, when we have a solution to the problem."

"'kay," Tenten agreed, and promptly grabbed his arm, staring expectantly up at him. Neji shook his head as he started to move forward again. _That was … in no way … cute, _he told himself fiercely, _not in the least. I did not just think that was cute. _Obviously, he was also beginning to feel the effects of the fresh air on top of the sake if he was thinking such things.

About a block from the Hyuuga compound Tenten's legs gave way to her exhaustion, and with a resigned sigh, Neji lifted her into his arms. When he finally reached his bedroom, he simply sank down with her on top of the bedcovers, thankful to finally be able to put her down. Who knew such a slight girl could weigh so much? But if he was honest with himself, the relief of putting her down had far more to do with him liking how she had felt against his chest, than it did with the burning muscles in his arms.

Groaning, Neji levered himself up again, took off Tenten's shoes, and after placing her under the covers, he unzipped her dress. With some maneuvering – firmly fighting the urge to peek – he finally managed to get the dress off. Tenten sighed and buried her face in the pillows, and before he could really take in the sight of Tenten sleeping half-naked in _his _bed, Neji grabbed a pillow and an extra blanket. He was so tired the hardness of the floor barely even registered as he drifted off to blessed oblivion.

* * *

Tenten woke slowly. The light that was hitting her eyes – quite apart from making her head ache - was coming from the wrong direction. She took stock of her surroundings. She was in a bed, not hers, but a bed nonetheless. She felt dirty and tired and slightly ill. Judging by the horrible taste in her mouth and the pounding headache, she'd obviously been drinking. _Why did I do that? _she wondered, _I know how low my tolerance for alcohol is. _Suddenly memory kicked in, and in flashes she remembered the wedding, the dances, and the drinks. And, dear Kami, she'd been drinking, and now she was in an unfamiliar _bed. _

Carefully Tenten cracked her eyes open, readying herself for the worst. Instead, the room her gaze lighted upon was familiar without being overly familiar. She rolled carefully onto her side, her eyes dropping to the floor, and she nearly shrieked when they collided with a pearly, white gaze.

"You nearly gave me a heart-attack," she gasped. Typically, Neji only raised his eyebrows at her. Instinctively she relaxed, she might be in a strange bedroom, but with Neji present it couldn't be as bad as all that. Tenten rolled onto her back, and for a moment silence reigned before her brain began putting two and two together. She was in an unfamiliar bed, with Neji on the floor beside said bed. She'd been drinking.

Trying to stifle the unease at the thought that she was clearly missing something, she gathered her courage to ask the burning questions. "Neji?" she whispered. "Hm," was the only response she got but she went on regardless, "Neji, where am I?" Tenten cringed as she heard him shifting – that she had to appear like such a dimwit, in front of Neji of all people, really just wasn't fair.

"You are in my bedroom. Specifically, in my bed," Neji answered, and his dry tone was not lost on Tenten as she tried to assimilate the new information. Silence descended, and then Tenten gathered her courage again. "Neji, why am I in your bed?" she asked timidly.

Neji sighed, "Because you locked yourself out of your apartment last night." He really was being uncharacteristically patient with her, Tenten had to give him credit for that, and now he'd mentioned it, she did vaguely recall something of the sort happening when they'd reached her apartment the previous evening.

"Oh," she finally replied, feeling the need to answer but not really having anything to say in response to his matter-of-fact statement. Tenten struggled to get her thoughts in order. After another long silence she asked, "Neji, why are you on the floor?"

This time the huff of breath was anything but patient, and Tenten winced, but when his voice sounded, it was laced with humor, "Would you rather have woken up wrapped around me, and been even more embarrassed than you are now?"

Regretfully, Tenten reflected that waking up wrapped around Neji would make up for a lot of embarrassment, but she was faintly touched by the gentlemanly gesture nonetheless. "Right," she replied vaguely, still caught up in fantasizing about waking up with Neji. Then she shook her head to dislodge the thoughts. He was a friend, a one time teammate, and she trusted him with her life, and that was all. She'd never before viewed him in a romantic light – and she wasn't about to start now - but, damnit, he'd grown up very nicely and she'd have to be blind not to have noticed his good looks.

All the thinking was making her head ache, and when Tenten shifted trying to get comfortable, she became aware, for the first time, that the sheets were brushing against her bare skin. Quickly she decided that she didn't dare ask Neji why she was naked. Surreptiously, she looked around for her dress – she had no memory of removing it – but with a sinking feeling in her stomach she realized she would have to ask after the garment.

As if he'd read her mind, Neji suddenly got to his feet and stared at her almost … sympathetically? That couldn't be right, but at the moment Tenten was too busy worrying about her lack of clothing to really pay much attention. "Your head must hurt," Neji's voice interrupted her frantic thoughts, and when she glanced up at him, Tenten didn't know whether she should be grateful that he'd gone to sleep fully dressed, or if she should be bemoaning her luck in not catching him shirtless. Before she'd managed to formulate a coherent reply, Neji bent down at the foot of the bed, and tossed a piece of dark blue fabric at her. Gratefully, Tenten recognized her dress. "I'll go get you some painkillers while you get dressed," Neji stated, and he quickly exited the room, leaving Tenten alone with her jumbled thoughts.

* * *

After he'd seen Tenten off, Neji made his way to the kitchen. He was in desperate need of some caffeine, but his plans for a peaceful cup of coffee rapidly evaporated when he entered the kitchen and saw Hinata already seated at the counter. Preemptively he glared at her, his entire body sending out 'don't-you-dare-say-a-word' signals.

Hinata raised her hands in silent surrender, "Don't shoot," she said, dryly. Still glaring, Neji settled himself at the counter, and decided to forgive Hinata for the comment when she placed a fresh cup of coffee in front of him. He raised his eyes questioningly, and she said, "You look like you need it."

He curled his hands around the warm cup and took a grateful sip of the hot liquid, then he sighed, and, once again, gave himself over to the inevitable, "Okay, spit it out," he told Hinata, staring at the contents of his cup. Hinata stifled a giggle behind her hand at his obvious discomfort and replied loftily, "Wasn't going to say anything." Neji sighed; the new Hinata was much too forthcoming in his presence for his peace of mind.

A long pause followed in which Neji stared straight ahead, refusing to meet her gaze, and suddenly Hinata giggled again, "So, Tenten spent the night," she said, gleefully. Neji couldn't help himself, his head jerked up in response. Sending his cousin a death glare, he quickly put an end to her speculations, "Yes, Tenten spent the night because she'd locked herself out of her apartment. And I spent the night _on my_ _floor_." He added emphasis to the last words in the vain hope that it would be enough to get through to Hinata that absolutely nothing improper had taken place. Looking at his cousin's shining eyes he admitted defeat; clearly she wasn't going to be put off.

Moodily, Neji swirled the remains of his coffee around the cup, wondering if there was any way that he could avoid speculations now. He was just thankful that Hiashi-sama had been away on business for the last week, and had not attended the wedding. Or been in the house for Tenten's awkward rush out the front door.

Hinata watched the usually composed Neji fidget for a moment longer before she took pity on him. Getting to her feet, she headed for the door, "Neji, what you do is your business but, in all fairness, I have to warn you, your actions last night – admirable as they were – generated quite a bit of interest from your … um … fans," she only stopped herself giggling just in time. Watching Neji fend off advances from men last night had been exceptionally entertaining – he was used to fending off girls, of course, but the look on his face when one man after another had tried to chat him up, had been the funniest thing she'd seen in a long time. Stifling another giggle, she turned so he wouldn't see the big grin she couldn't suppress and added over her shoulder, "After you left, quite a few people came to ask me about you. They just couldn't stop swooning about how 'masterful' and 'gentlemanly' you'd been. So, prepare yourself for the attention – I don't think the fact that you left with Tenten is going to be much of a deterrent." Quickly she left, but not before catching a brief glimpse of her cousin's horror-struck features before he dropped his head onto his arms and groaned.

* * *

"You want to do _what_?" Neji stared at Hinata in disbelief. _No, oh no, there is no way that she's doing that to me. _Hinata smiled serenely before replying, "I'm having a birthday party for Naruto. I've already discussed it with Father, and he said it would be fine, and to tell you that he's counting on you to make sure his daughter and his house come out of it in one piece. He'll only be back from his trip next week, by the way," she added nonchalantly, deliberately ignoring the mulish expression on her cousin's face.

Neji shook his head in bemusement. The damn wedding had only taken place a week ago, and already Hinata wanted to have more parties? Neji winced when, as per usual, thoughts of the wedding led straight to thoughts of Tenten. And that damn scrap of material she'd had the audacity to call a dress. Not that he'd had any further trouble out of her – she'd avoided him like the plague since the morning she'd rushed out of his house with a quick thank you. Neji gritted his teeth and pulled himself back to the present – he'd spent far too much time thinking about Tenten in the last week. He glared at Hinata, who was still smiling peacefully up at him. "No," he announced, forcefully, glaring daggers at his cousin. Was she _trying_ to kill him?

* * *

Neji groaned when the front door opened to admit even more people. He'd tried everything to dissuade Hinata, but she'd blithely gone on her way, arranging the party. Finally, in desperation, he'd threatened to deliberately stay away, and then inform his uncle that she'd had the party without his presence. Hinata had glared at him, and the gentle reproof in her voice should've warned him that the battle had been lost. "Really, Neji. How can you be so selfish? You know what kind of childhood Naruto had. He's never had a birthday party before, and now you, his supposed friend, won't even grant him that small pleasure." Her words had taken all the fight out of him, and, glumly, he'd conceded defeat. Damn the girl, what else could he do, once she'd stated it in those terms?

So, here he was, for the second time in a week, watching lights flashing, and dancers moving about the makeshift dance-floor Hinata had arranged on the patio. Only this time, instead of having to worry about a couple of girls, they were _all _his problem. _I hate my life, _Neji thought as he took another swig of his second cup of sake – and the party had only started an hour ago. At this rate, he would be a total alcoholic before too long.

His gaze swept the room again, quite against his will, and fiercely denied to himself that he was searching for Tenten. He was, most definitely, not looking for her. No, he was merely ensuring that his unwanted guests were enjoying themselves. Thankfully, he caught sight of Lee, and quickly made his way over to where his friend was standing – wearing his usual green spandex and talking delightedly to his longtime crush, Sakura. Reaching the pair, Neji gave a short nod in greeting. Lee was far too used to Neji's taciturn behavior to even notice that he wasn't being particularly friendly, but Sakura eyed him curiously. Neji wished she would stop.

It took him a while, but finally he noticed that Lee was being very attentive to Sakura, and that she wasn't moving away to join her blonde teammate on the other side of the room, where he stood talking to a blushing Hinata. For a moment, he was completely non-plussed as the feeling that he'd missed something welled up in his mind. Then Sakura addressed him directly for the first time, and it all began to make a horrible kind of sense, "So, are you here with Tenten? Where is she? I haven't seen her yet." Sakura twisted her neck, standing on her toes, looking for a glimpse of Tenten through the crowd.

Neji couldn't help jerking his head towards an embarrassed-looking Lee for confirmation of his thoughts. Lee shrugged, "Yes, Neji, Sakura agreed to accompany me tonight." Neji's eyes narrowed as he took in the rest of the room. Sure enough, most people seemed to be paired off. His eyes closed slowly and he couldn't help but feel that if he didn't kill Hinata after this then he never would.

Suddenly realizing that Sakura was still waiting for a reply to her question, he said shortly, "No, Tenten is not with me, and I have not seen her either." Quickly, he excused himself, before Sakura could give voice to the curiosity burning in her eyes. Damn Hinata for not telling him that this was a bring-a-date kind of party!

Fighting his way through the crowd, Neji headed for the relative peace of the hallway. Now that the topic had been brought to light, he couldn't help but wonder who Tenten was coming with, or if she was even planning to attend. Unfortunately, he'd not sorted out how he felt about either of those two scenarios before he reached the hallway, and walked smack into Tenten and her date – obviously just arriving. Before he could help himself the words burst from his lips, and to his alarm, he could feel the relief washing through him even as he heard the amusement lacing his tone. "You're here with _Shino_?"

Tenten jerked in surprise that quickly turned to resentment at his words. "Yes, Neji, I'm here with Shino, because thanks to your interfering last week, I'm back to accepting pity dates from my friends!" Then it was Neji's turn to jerk in surprise at the venom in her tone. His eyebrows rose, and he regarded her flushed face coolly, "I didn't realize. Forgive me. Next time I'll let you be pawed by drunken strangers since that's obviously what you want." He pushed past her and headed for the stairs, not really sure why he was angry but angry nonetheless. With a sigh of relief, he reached the quiet of the landing, and leaned against the wall for a moment, struggling with his chaotic thoughts. _What the hell was that all about?_

* * *

Some time later a quiet knock on his bedroom door reminded Neji that there was, in fact, a party going on downstairs. In the aftermath of the little scene with Tenten, he'd headed for his bedroom, determined not to show his face again. He had no desire to be there anyway, and watching Tenten dance again was quite out of the question. So, he'd decided, for once Hinata would have to look out for herself. And damned if he would feel guilty about dereliction of duty and all that, everyone downstairs was a friend, so he doubted Hinata would come to any harm. He'd just begun to relax in the dark peace of his room when the knock had sounded.

"Bathroom down the hall, on the left," he growled at the door, when the knocking intensified. To his complete disbelief the doorknob turned anyway, and the door swung open to reveal Tenten leaning against the doorframe. "Hi," she said, almost shyly, toying nervously with the fabric of her shirt. Neji stared at her for a moment, refusing to acknowledge how the sight of her skin-tight leggings, and long, floaty, off-the-shoulder blouse affected his hormones. _It is simply because, her clothes hint at more than reveal her body, it makes you curious that's all,_ he told himself firmly.

"Hi," he finally grumbled back. Tenten stared at him questioningly, and he jerked his head to invite her inside, since that was obviously what she was waiting for. She stepped inside and closed the door softly behind her. Turning to face him again, she leaned against the door and cleared her throat nervously. "So, um, great party," she offered lamely, after a moment of silence. Neji glared at her. "Ah, right," she muttered, staring at her shoes.

As if she'd suddenly gathered her courage, she lifted her head, and she said, "Look, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn't mean it the way it sounded – of course I'm grateful that you helped me last week." She stared at her shoes again.

"Hinata made you come up here, didn't she?" Neji responded dryly. Tenten's head jerked up, and he was not, absolutely was not, admiring the way the moonlight streaming in through the window played off the silken waves of her hair. "No," she denied quietly, "in fact, Hinata told me that it was my funeral but since I was set on this course she would gladly point me in the right direction, and then washed her hands of the entire affair."

Neji couldn't help the laugh that escaped him – sometimes he could almost appreciate his cousin's sense of humor. "What?" he asked defensively, when Tenten stared at him in silence. "You should laugh more often," she said, and then her hands flew to her mouth when she realized what she'd just said. Neji smirked at her, just to show that he didn't really mind her comment, and her hands dropped down again as she relaxed.

"So, are you going to come back to the party?" she asked finally, moving forward to join him on the bed. "Um, let me see … no," Neji said sarcastically, "and no, it's not because of you, I just hate crowds." Tenten hung her head, her hair swishing forward, and, frustratingly, Neji couldn't see her expression. "Mmm, me too," she murmured, scuffing her feet along the floor. His eyebrows rose, "Really," he stated, disbelief evident in his tone. "Really, I just got like that last week because of the champagne, and then more drinks seemed like a good idea … vicious circle," Tenten grimaced, "needless to say, I am definitely not touching a drop of alcohol tonight!"

"That might be for the best," Neji agreed gravely, hiding his smile at her uncomfortable wiggle. "Won't your date wonder where you'd gotten to?" Neji asked finally, when she made no move to leave. Tenten jumped to her feet, for some reason she was very agitated tonight, "Oh, right, you want to be alone."

"I never said that," Neji replied slowly, "but you haven't answered the question." Tenten sighed, "I doubt he'll notice – he was talking to Sai the last time I saw him." Nervously, she stepped back to the door – something was different about Neji, and she didn't like the way it was making her feel, "So, I'll just … leave you to your thoughts, then," she mumbled, her hand fumbling behind her for the doorknob. She met with little success, and finally whirled around to see where the damn doorknob had gotten to, but completely miscalculated the turn. One heel caught on the other, and Tenten simply closed her eyes, as she waited for the inevitable connection with the floor. Only it never came, instead, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, righting her slipping form and pressing her firmly back against the door. "You know, for such a graceful fighter, you're extraordinarily uncoordinated when wearing high heels," Neji drawled down at her.

Breathlessly, Tenten stared up at Neji's dark shape, and before she'd given the action much thought her hand lifted to brush his silky hair away from his cheek. Neji's breathing hitched at her touch, and almost against his volition, he bent his head to press his lips firmly against hers. _What the hell are you doing? _he screamed at himself, but then Tenten made a soft, breathy, mewling kind of sound, and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe to press closer - even in the heels, she didn't quite reach his height. And, just like that, Neji decided that he didn't care about anything at the moment but the pleasure of her mouth on his.

His hands stroked down her back to coax her body tightly against him, and his tongue swept out to trace against her lower lip, asking for entrance. Tenten sighed, and opened her mouth, allowing the invasion. For a long while, Neji was unable to recall the reasons _why_ this was a bad idea as she pressed against him and their tongues battled for dominance.

Tenten's head was whirling. Never in a million years, could she have imagined that kissing Neji would be so … so … incredible. Of course, she'd admired his good looks in the past – much as every member of the female population in Konoha between the ages of 10 and 90 had done at one time or another – she wasn't blind. But somehow she'd never translated that admiration for a beautiful masculine form into a desire to kiss him. But now, with his arms wrapped around her, holding her securely against his hard body, and his tongue coiling with hers, she couldn't deny that this was just pure bliss.

Never before had her body responded to another human being's in this way. Kisses had always been pleasant – the few she'd received – and touches quickly stopped. But with Neji … his kiss was a dark, drugging force that dragged her inexorably into a whirlpool of unthinking desire. She writhed in his arms, trying to get even closer, wishing Neji had about ten more hands so he could touch her everywhere at once.

"Stay still," Neji growled against her lips, his body responding to the arousing feel of her soft curves rubbing against him despite his best efforts. If she continued to do things like that he really would not be responsible for his actions. Tenten moaned in response, and reading the desire in her eyes, he realized that she was silently, unintentionally, asking him to touch her. He groaned, low in his throat, when the undulating movements of her body didn't cease, and with a surge of fierce satisfaction he decided to comply with the demands of her body. Kissing her softly, reassuringly, in the hope of stilling her movements somewhat, Neji backed her up against the door, and all the while his lips moved persuasively over hers. Feeling the press of the wood at her back, Tenten gratefully leaned back against its solid weight – her own legs seemed to be incapable of supporting her at the moment.

Her moan shivered down his spine when he transferred his mouth to her neck, sucking softly on the curve when she arched back to give him better access. His arms were finally free – no longer needed to support her - and he used his body to press her firmly against the door, as his hands trailed down her sides, learning the shape of her body, and his mouth teased the soft skin of her neck.

With a barely audible sigh, Tenten wound her fingers in his long hair, pulling him closer, and Neji gave up the silent battle that had been raging in the back of his mind. He allowed his hands to slip down her sides until his thumbs were stroking circles over her hips, and when she arched encouragingly against him again, he slid his hands around to cup her rear. Finally, he admitted to himself that this was _exactly_ what he'd been aching to do since he'd first seen her in that stupid dress a week ago. He stroked his hands over the firm mounds, dragging her up and closer and Tenten instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as she tried to keep her balance.

Their mouths wrenched apart and each gave in to the urge to gasp, as the more intimate contact of their bodies demanded. Silently, they stared at each other, desire thrumming through the air between them, and then Neji was turning. He carried Tenten, still wrapped around him, to the bed and laid her gently down onto the covers. She whimpered in protest when his body left hers to remove her shoes, but a moment later, she sighed in satisfaction when he came to rest on top of her, her spread legs creating a cradle for his hips.

Neji kept his upper body raised on one arm, so as not to crush her, his lips blindly seeking hers again, and his other hand stroked over her middle, raising the fabric of her shirt so his fingers could slip beneath it, to trace burning patterns on her silky skin. Slowly, teasingly, his fingertips traced up, over the lines of her ribs, dipping back down to draw tantalizing circles around her navel. Each upward stroke went higher, until his knuckles were brushing at the underside of her breast. Tenten jerked in reaction, as the touch sent her overwrought nerves into hyper drive, and Neji nearly moaned with the realization that she wasn't wearing a bra.

Just when Tenten thought she would surely go insane if he delayed a moment longer, his hand swept up, cupping her breast in a warm palm, kneading her aching flesh gently, his thumb brushing light circles over the pebbled tip. Her hips jerked upward in a reactionary thrust that had Neji grunting at the friction her involuntary movement created against his aroused body. Tenten moaned, quite loudly, when he thrust back with a smooth roll of his hips and locked her ankles behind his back. Only with great restraint did Neji manage to hold back the sounds of pleasure that wanted to escape his throat at the feel of her warmth pressing against him, and wanting to prolong the pleasurable feeling, and since he rather liked hearing that sound leave her lips, he decided to do it again.

Soon he had a smooth rhythm going as he rocked against her writhing, and sadly, still fully clothed form. They panted heavily between kisses, as their hands frantically explored each other's bodies, Neji's lips returning again, and again, to the wet heat of Tenten's mouth. Inevitably, each time he kissed his way down her neck, his forays went lower and lower, until, finally, his mouth brushed over the curve of her breast and he took a pebbled tip into his mouth, suckling her through the diaphanous fabric of the shirt. Tenten cried out, her hands tangling in his hair, as she pressed his head closer to her, and his other hand instinctively reached under the irritating garment to stroke her other breast.

Neji was so completely lost in the feel of Tenten's soft, warm flesh, her throaty cries of pleasure, and the tormenting friction of their lower bodies rubbing sensuously against each other, that he never even heard the soft knocking at his door. The first inkling he had that they were no longer alone, was the gasping voice behind him that proclaimed nearly incoherent sentences of apology, "Oh, wow, um … sorry … I … Tenten was gone for so long …. I … I'm going now," Hinata finished at last, blushing madly as she whirled out of the room slamming the door behind her in her haste to be gone.

Neji turned his head back to Tenten, and groaned when he saw the veil of wanting lifting from her eyes, leaving them clear and horrified. She pushed futilely at his shoulders, and in the moonlight he could just make out the blush staining her cheeks silver. "Neji," she gasped, "get off. We have to get up!" Her frantic movements didn't seem to want to cease, but nonetheless, Neji gave it a try. Leaning down he slowly licked the pulse point at the hollow of her throat, sucking lightly and pressed her harder into the mattress, "We don't," he disagreed, silently gratified by the way her breathing hitched at the touch of his lips, and at the way her body responded to him.

She quieted beneath him, and her breathing was shallow when she whispered, "Please, Neji." For a moment he thought about pretending to misunderstand what she was asking for. He was confident that, in a few minutes, he could return her to her previous pleasure-filled state, but the quiet desperation in her tone convinced him– no matter what her body was begging for – Tenten wanted out.

* * *

The next morning dawned dull and gray, perfectly reflecting the way Neji felt. After he had, unwillingly, let Tenten go, he'd spent a restless night, tossing and turning with frustration, as his body craved the fulfillment that it had been denied. Somewhere between a toss and a turn, Neji had made up his mind that he wanted to be with Tenten like that again. For the first time in his life, desire was not something that he could easily ignore, or that could be easily sated, and he'd decided that he wanted Tenten so nothing and no one else would do.

As soon as it had been light enough, he'd left the house – barely suppressing a smirk when he caught sight of the mess Hinata would have to clean - and headed straight to their old training grounds. He'd been right, Tenten was already there, and if the way she was kicking the tree she faced was any indication, she wasn't any happier than he was this morning.

Quietly he approached, and leaned against another tree, waiting for her to finish her bout. After a while it became apparent that it wasn't going to end any time soon, so he took matters into his own hands. "You know, it's not going to suddenly kick back if you kick it hard enough," he commented when the strength of her kicks increased. With a gasp Tenten whirled around, "Are you trying to off me with a heart attack before my time?" she asked irritably when she caught sight of him. "What do you want, Neji? As you can see, I'm a little busy right now."

Neji frowned, why was she being so dismissive? The Tenten he faced this morning was quite different from the wanton creature he'd held in his arms last night – and he knew which one he preferred. She was probably embarrassed but that didn't mean that she needed to act this way around him. He opened his mouth to reassure her that his regard for her had not slipped in the slightest and that he would quite like to see her again, socially that was, sometime, but somewhere between his brain and his mouth the intended words turned into, "I want to finish what we started last night."

He was so shocked at his own words – he hadn't noticed another part of his brain was busy supplying possible answers to her question – that his eyes widened, and flew to hers in an uncharacteristic display of uncertainty. Tenten stared at him, shocked into total silence, and suddenly, they were both laughing. Neji couldn't remember the last time, if ever, he'd laughed so much, but it released all the pent up tension, and lightened the atmosphere so he wasn't going to complain too loudly.

Finally, Tenten sobered, and still wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, she said, "I'm sure you do, but I don't think that's such a good idea." Abruptly, all amusement fled, and Neji couldn't help the resentment rising when he asked, "Why not?"

Tenten sighed, "I'm sorry about last night, Neji. I didn't mean to tease; I guess I got carried away. I just don't think that you and I would be such a good idea. For one thing I'm definitely not looking for a one night stand."

Neji briefly basked in the surge of relief that she felt the same attraction he did, and that her objection was something so easily overcome, "I never said I was only looking for a one night stand."

She sighed again, "A fling then. Whatever you want to call it, I'm not in the market for it. I'm looking for something a little more lasting – more real." Her eyes met his, pleading with him to understand and not take offence. For a moment, Neji was taken totally aback by her candor but then he rallied his wits, "Stop putting words into my mouth. Who said I didn't want it to be real? I realize that with us the situation would be more complicated than a simple affair, but I never said that I was opposed to that." He watched her reaction carefully, gratified that she was the one being wrong-footed for a change when she simply eyed him anxiously.

Silence reigned as they stared at each other and Neji waited for her to get her thoughts in order. Finally Tenten said, "I'm flattered, but I just don't see how that could ever work. It's bound to end badly and I don't want that. I don't want our friendship to be ruined because we gave in to fleeting lust."

Neji smirked, "Who said it would be fleeting?" Tenten threw her hands into the air impatiently, "Stop doing that, Neji. Stop playing around with words and just say what you mean!" She glared at him. Slowly, Neji walked towards her, "Fine then. I'm saying that, though I don't know how long it would last or where it would end up any more than you do, you would definitely enjoy the ride."

His eyes smoldered with suppressed passion, and it took everything Tenten had not to give in to the dark promise of his words. She backed away, fighting to hold on to the present and her sanity. "No, Neji. I mean, I'm sure I would, but that's not what I want." Her back hit the tree she'd been kicking earlier in a vain attempt to exorcise the memory of Neji's mouth and his hands, and with nowhere left to run Tenten stared at Neji's advancing form in trepidation.

"What _do _you want then, Tenten?" Neji whispered, as his body came within inches of touching hers. He rested his hands on either side of her head, and his breath brushed over her ear, making her shiver, when he said, "I promise to deliver."

Weakly, Tenten pushed at his shoulders and when he didn't move she threw caution to the winds, and stopped trying to be polite in getting her point across. "That's just it, Neji. I know you would. But with you it would be all dark and brooding passion, and I have enough darkness in my life. I want warmth, and stability, and companionship and, damnit, I want romance! Not just incredible sex!" she was breathing hard by the end of her tirade, but, thankfully, her words had given Neji pause – if he had actually touched her, she wasn't so sure she would've been able to resist.

Neji drew back a little, "Are you implying that I'm incapable of being warm and supportive, companionable and romantic?" he asked, looking offended. Tenten gave a little huff of laughter, but it was devoid of any real amusement, "Okay, fine, I concede, you've got companionable down, but the rest? Please, Neji, you don't have a warm, romantic bone in your body. And I didn't mean supportive in the I'll-help-you-train-to-get-stronger way, either – I meant emotionally supportive," perplexingly, a sad look washed across her face, "You and I both know that you don't do emotional intimacy."

Neji's hands bit into the bark. Where did she get the idea that she knew everything about him? Just because he'd never been emotionally intimate with her – just because he'd never been warm and romantic or any of that with her – didn't mean that he was incapable of it! He'd just never before had the desire to have any of those things with someone. There hadn't been anyone special enough. But now, as he stared into her chocolate eyes, he slowly came to the realization that, perhaps, he wanted that with her. Briefly, he imagined a life with Tenten, sharing himself with her in a way he never had before. It was disturbingly easy to imagine. But Tenten was still trying to duck out from under his arm and he knew instinctively that it would take more than his word to convince her that he could and wanted to be those things for her.

"Let me prove it to you," where the words had come from he had no idea, but Tenten stopped trying to get free and looked up at him skeptically. "Just give me a chance to prove to you that we could be good together – be everything that you want – before you close the door on that possibility." Why on earth was he pleading with her? He had no clue, he only knew that he wanted Tenten more than he'd ever wanted anything in his entire life – and not just physically, though that was certainly a big part of it – for some unfathomable reason he burned to prove to her that he _could_ be the kind of man that she would want in her life. That he was not so caught up in the darkness of the shinobi life and his own past that he couldn't make someone happy.

Wonderingly, he examined the thought and discovered that he would quite like to make someone happy, he never had before. No one had ever needed him to do that for them. And it couldn't be overlooked that he really just _was_ incapable of backing down from a challenge. His shinobi skills had leveled out, and though he grew marginally stronger still, he was mostly honing his abilities now - developing new techniques. Maybe it was time to try and develop personally, too. He really was beginning to be quite sick and tired of being accused of being emotionally stunted, when nothing could be further from the truth. It was just that no one had ever bothered trying to crack his shell, and he'd never before thought anyone worth the effort of coming out of it on his own. Tenten gnawed her lower lip, "Neji-"

Before she could finish what she started to say, Neji interrupted her again, "Just give it a chance, Tenten. What could that hurt?" Tenten stared into his eyes indecisively. The images of herself with Neji just wouldn't stop dancing enticingly through her mind, and suddenly she decided to take a risk. She'd never before felt for anyone what she felt when Neji was near her, when he touched her, and, somehow, it just made sense that it should be for that kind of feeling that she took the risk of being hurt.

So, she took a deep breath, and firmly ignored the voice screaming in her head that Neji was dangerous for her. After all, who knew her better than he did? He was already only one step away from being as close to her as she'd ever let anyone be before. She swiftly silenced the voice - it was still screaming about how he'd always had the potential to be the one to break her heart into so many tiny pieces that she would never be quite whole again – and reached up to wind her hands into his hair, pulling his head down in a strong kiss that effectively sealed the deal.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who read/reviewed/alerted/favorited Changed. Your response has been incredible – I really thought this one was going to land in the epic fail pile! I'm so sorry for the long delay in updating. Blame Neji: he gave me hell throughout Part 2, he absolutely refused to cooperate with the whole romance angle ^_^ (aside: I eventually redid the whole thing in a more Neji-friendly way and that's why it took so long) but I hope that it lives up to everyone's expectations, nonetheless. I know that events seem to progress quite quickly but bear in mind that they have been friends for many years, and that they do know each other quite well - they really just took the relationship to the next level. Also, I didn't want to drag this out, it's already much longer than I planned!_**

_**Warning:**__** If lemons bother you please note that the ending has a rather long lemon (Neji felt he deserved it, lol). Nothing too terribly explicit (I think) but definitely**__** for mature audiences**__**. So, with no further ado, I give you the finale of Changed. Pleaaassseee let me know what you thought! (I'm still not ruling out the epic fail label). Happy reading!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my perverted imagination**_

* * *

_**Changed: Part 2**_

One moment Neji was staring into Tenten's eyes, willing her to see things his way, and the next she had given in - or so it seemed. She was kissing him at any rate, and he decided to take that as a yes. Having determined what her action meant, Neji gave himself over to the sensations her lips were causing, and he grunted when her back arched off the trunk of the tree behind her, so she could press closer to him. Apparently his body had only been on stand-by through the night - if the near instantaneous reaction to her proximity was any indication.

Instinctively, his hands came off the bark and settled on her hips, holding her tightly against him. His lungs were screaming for breath but the impulse to his brain barely even registered compared with the pleasure pulsing through every nerve-ending he possessed, and his hands began to wander up the curves of her body.

Abruptly, Tenten shifted sideways, wrenching her mouth away from his, and then she was gone. His body screamed in frustration at being denied again, and with the sinking feeling that he'd better get used to it, if he intended to prove his sincerity, Neji whirled around. Tenten was leaning casually against the tree he'd left only moments before, smiling innocently. Neji glared at her.

Tenten laughed and waved an index finger at him. "None of that – or you'll have me believing I've made a mistake and that you _were_ just trying to sweet-talk me, after all." She turned and started to walk away. She'd only gone a few steps before she turned slightly, and said over her shoulder. "You have your chance, Neji. I'll see you at eight." She disappeared in a puff of smoke before Neji had a chance to reply.

For a minute Neji was unable to gather his lust-filled thoughts – they seemed to be focused solely on Tenten, her body, her movements … He shook his head vigorously, and leaned back against the tree before sliding slowly down its length to settle on the ground. Neji frowned in concentration – he needed a plan.

Tenten had told him to pick her up at eight. But to what end? First things first, he told himself firmly, when his thoughts came very near to being panicked as he realized that Tenten expected him to be as good as his word. Hadn't he just managed to convince her that he could be warm and supportive – not to mention romantic? The only problem was: he had no idea how to go about putting his words into actions. Just because he was _capable_ of it didn't mean he knew _how._

_I'm so screwed. _Neji dropped his head into his hands, and admitted silently that he had no idea how to go about becoming a caring, romantic individual within the space of a few hours. It just wasn't possible. After a long moment spent wracking his brain frantically for any ideas on what one could consider a reasonably romantic outing, his head came up and he could almost feel the light bulb going on in his mind. _Dinner and flowers – that's it! Girls like that sort of thing, don't they?_

* * *

Dinner was, to put it plainly, excruciating. Neji had forgotten to take into account that, even if Tenten enjoyed this kind of thing, he surely didn't. How he'd managed to overlook the fact that he would be incredibly awkward in such surroundings, and that the awkwardness would spill over into their conversation – or lack thereof – and therefore affect Tenten's reaction to the entire debacle, he had no idea. He was currently blaming it on his hormones – if he'd been thinking clearly he would've realized that this was, quite possibly, the worst idea he'd ever had - and that included the time he'd allowed Hanabi to play with his hair – he'd been babysitting and she'd been whining incessantly about being bored, so he'd thought what harm could there be in allowing her to brush it for a while? Ten sparkly butterfly clips and a million braids later, he'd promised himself that he would _never _have another idea again. Neji took a sip of his water, fighting the urge to bang his head on the table. _When will you learn to stop having these brainwaves?_ he silently berated himself.

Tenten played with her napkin as she stared around the large restaurant, and tried her utmost to look as if she wasn't in the most awkward situation of her life. Still, she had to concentrate on not laughing despite her vague disappointment in Neji - she'd expected a bit more from him – but he was obviously trying. How he could ever have thought that this was her kind of scene she couldn't guess. Though the – surprising - bouquet of flowers he'd presented her with at the beginning of the evening _had _been quite lovely: a mixture of yellow roses, pink carnations and baby's breath. Stifling the urge to slice the waitress to ribbons when the woman hovered flirtatiously over Neji for the millionth time since they'd arrived – really, wasn't it obvious that Neji wasn't interested – she took a deep breath, and took another stab at making conversation. "The roses were lovely," she offered at last and cringed inwardly. _Lame, Tenten. Is that the best you could come up with?_

Neji inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. He wished she wouldn't talk about the flowers he'd bought for her – really the entire episode of buying them had been too agonizing for words. He nearly shrank back in horror when the memories of his afternoon washed over him anyway. He'd gone to the Yamanaka flower shop, and before he'd even managed to properly outline what he was looking for, he'd felt arms encircling him from behind, and small hands had wormed their way into his pockets. He'd instinctively known that it wasn't Tenten – and when he'd turned slightly to tell the unknown girl to let go of him, the hands had started wriggling.

Neji blushed slightly at the memory of how he'd squirmed while, instead of coming to his aid, Ino had ducked beneath the counter and laughed her head off– he could've simply disabled the girl, but, despite what Lee seemed to think, he did not go around hitting innocent civilians who couldn't defend themselves. And, everything else aside, even if he _had_ been inclined to hit her, he really hadn't been in much of a position to move, pressed against the counter as he was – if he had, the seeking hands really _would _have become a problem. Finally, he'd given up on twisting and turning to try and avoid the hands, and, much to his shame, he had yelped, more than bellowed, for Ino's help. Still laughing, she'd pried the protesting girl off of him and ushered her out of the shop.

He ducked his head as he thanked his lucky stars – and not for the first time since the incident – that he'd been wearing loose pants with pockets located at the side of the seam rather than at the front of the garment as usual. Needless to say, after that he'd kept a careful lookout for anyone who looked even remotely like they were about to approach him – it seemed Hinata had been right about the interest he'd generated at the wedding.

It seemed to go on endlessly – the courses of food – and he couldn't think of a single romantic thing to say – he suspected that it would only sound insincere coming from him anyway. He'd complimented Tenten on her appearance at beginning of the evening, and he couldn't help but feel that was more than enough romance to satisfy anyone. Frantically, he wracked his brain for anything else – what did men usually say in this kind of situation? He highly doubted that it would count if he told her that she'd thrown her shuriken beautifully at their last sparring match. Finally, he admitted defeat, this idea clearly wasn't going to work, and, after all he'd had to endure in the name of the romance that Tenten prized so highly, he couldn't help but feel resentful – he didn't see her trying to further the emotional connection between them.

"Let's get out of here," Tenten suggested when dessert was finished. Neji nodded gratefully and quickly signaled for the check. In silence they walked back to her apartment – the air between them seemed strangely charged, and not with sexual tension, either. In front of her building, Tenten turned to Neji and asked cautiously, "Why did you put yourself through something you knew you would hate?"

For a long moment Neji simply stared at her. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again Tenten was taken aback by the fury that blazed in his pearlescent gaze. "Why? _Why_, you ask. Well, maybe because it was what _you_ wanted – don't blame me if it didn't live up to your fantasies."

Tenten narrowed her eyes, "It was perfect, Neji. In a very bland, perfunctory and uncomfortable way, and if I recall it was all your idea! Why are you blaming me?"

He swallowed hard and then hissed, "It's entirely your fault! Why shouldn't I blame you?"

Tenten gasped, "My fault?"

"Yes, your fault! If you hadn't gone and changed none of this would've happened!"

Tenten stared at Neji in bemusement, "I changed? How did I change?" Neji shook his head, the movement betraying the agitation he felt, "You became … sexy, and alluring, and – I don't even know! But whatever it was, it made me do something as ridiculous as tonight, so the least you can do is show your appreciation!"

She stared at him blankly for a moment before a grin spread slowly across her face, "So, you think I'm alluring?" she mused, "I've never been called alluring before." Tenten caught sight of Neji's unchanging glower and laughed lightly, "Oh, calm down, Neji. I never said I didn't appreciate the effort you'd gone to – and it was obvious that you _had_ made a lot of effort. The problem was that it wasn't _you_. But let's not fight, please. Would you like to come upstairs for a drink?" Not waiting to see if he would follow, she turned and walked away.

The momentary anger dissipated at the sight of Tenten's swaying hips, and Neji found himself willingly following after her, his frustration with the entire situation pushed to the back of his mind for the time being.

* * *

Tenten moaned as Neji's mouth travelled down her neck. She couldn't quite remember how they had wound up twisted together on the couch – Neji's shirt more off than on, and her dress pushed up around her thighs - and, right now, she really didn't care. She squirmed beneath him, reveling in the feel of his hard body pressed against her, and trailed her hands down his back and then up again, to burrow in his silky hair.

One of his hands skimmed down her side, making her shiver, and then came to rest at the back of her knee. He paused there for a moment, tracing soft circles on her skin, before suddenly tightening his grip and wrapping her leg around his hip, pushing her dress even higher in the process. Panting against her neck, Neji ceased his kisses for a moment as he tried to control himself, despite the intimate contact. It really didn't help when Tenten cried out, and arched her back to push their bodies even closer together. Then she brought her other knee up as well, allowing him to fall fully against her, and Neji decided that, for a short while, loss of control was acceptable.

He lowered his head and, unerringly placed his lips on her weakest spot – he'd quickly come to realize that Tenten reacted wonderfully when he sucked lightly at the hollow of her throat. He was still stroking his fingertips across the skin at the top of her thigh and somehow his hand moved higher – to brush lightly over her hip – drawing tantalizing circles over the lacy edge of the fabric his fingers encountered. Tenten arched again, and Neji let go of her hip, pulling back so he could brush a hand slowly across her breasts in an almost reverent motion. Even through the fabric he could feel the hardened tips as they strained against their confines. Tenten gasped, and Neji's entire body jerked in reaction when she moaned, "Neji … please …"

Every fiber of his being screamed at him to fulfill the need that resonated through her voice - and, if he was honest, through his body as well - but a little voice in the back of his mind spoke up to remind him of the quest he was on. He still had to prove to her that this was, in fact, everything she wanted, and it seemed slightly despicable to take advantage of her inexperience. The way she responded, so completely unfeigned and untutored, as if every sensation was a surprise, just proved to him that, though he was sure she wasn't _completely_ innocent, she was a hell of a lot more innocent than he was.

Right now, Tenten wanted him – or, rather, her body did – but _Tenten _wouldn't necessarily agree with the decision her body had made come morning. And somewhere in the back of his mind was the knowledge that the last thing he wanted was to hurt her – to make her unhappy in any way. When they took that final step he wanted it to be because she had chosen_, _emotionally and intellectually, to be with him – not because he'd aroused her body to fever-pitch and she was unable to do anything but respond.

Reluctantly, Neji suppressed the urge to show her exactly how good it could feel, that this was just a small taste of the ecstasy to follow. Having accomplished that feat, he ruthlessly clamped down on the desire raging through his body, and tried to put thoughts of what he would like to do to her – with her – from his mind.

With a small sigh, he pressed his lips to hers in a gentle, and, he hoped, calming kiss. He drew his hands away from her body to cup her face as their tongues met in a sinuous dance. He was relieved when it worked, somewhat, and her frantic movements stilled. For a long time, Neji simply kept kissing her, and he was surprised to discover that there was just as much enjoyment in the action as there would've been in the more intimate joining of their bodies – albeit in a very different way. Finally, he sighed and laid his head on her shoulder, burying his face in her neck and her sweet-smelling hair. Tenten's arms came around him, holding him close, and she whispered, "Wow."

Neji grunted, and quickly levered himself off of her before all his good intentions were overcome by the lure of her mouth and her body. "I think I should go now," Neji straightened his clothing, deliberately not looking at her invitingly spread body, and he gave her a last, quick kiss before heading to the door. Slowly, Tenten followed suit, and - as she struggled to regain control over her unruly hormones and the wants and needs Neji had awakened - she wondered if it was too late to tell him that she had changed her mind. If this was what brooding passion felt liked, she would take brooding passion over romance any day.

* * *

Neji groaned and buried his head in the pillows. He'd left Tenten hours ago, and whenever he drifted off, he was woken a short time later by dreams of being inside of her. _This is getting ridiculous. _He pushed his hair back from his sweaty forehead, and tried, again, to figure out a way to convince Tenten, preferably sooner than later, that maybe a mixture of 'brooding passion' - as she'd put it - and romance was what she wanted, because he couldn't see any way around that aspect of his character. He really hoped she'd be amenable to a compromise; otherwise she was going to have to make peace with the fact that she'd driven him insane. If only she wasn't so dead-set on having romance in her life, he'd already be sleeping peacefully beside her!

After that disaster of a dinner he'd come to the conclusion that he would have to find his own way of being romantic – the tried and trusted methods clearly weren't going to work in his case. He simply wasn't made that way, he couldn't find it in himself to be sentimental. No, soppy and Neji were two words he could happily say held no connection with each other whatsoever. He wanted Tenten, and badly, but he wanted his dignity intact, too – if she was hoping he was going to serenade her as if this was some kind of tasteless movie, she was going to be _very _disappointed. Plan B was already in place – if romance totally failed, he would simply kiss her, tease her, until she couldn't take it anymore and changed her view of what she required in a relationship.

His body gave a particularly insistent throb and Neji came to the despondent realization that he would be unable to give the problem his full attention as long as half of his mind was constantly focused on the need to give in to his baser instincts – and that was really the crux of the matter. He wanted Tenten with increasing desperation, but he couldn't have her until he could somehow dredge romance from his soul, and he couldn't do _that_ while his body wouldn't let him have any peace in which to really _think._

He couldn't quite believe it when he reached a hand into his boxers to stroke his aching length – it really was just too depressing that he had to resort to this - but, a while later, almost simultaneously with his release, an idea finally occurred to him. Or maybe it was just that in the moment of mindless pleasure he could let his defenses down. Whatever the reason, he admitted to himself that, perhaps, in this instance, he needed help, and he resolved to talk to Hinata the first chance he got. He definitely wouldn't make it through another session with Tenten that was denied its rightful conclusion.

* * *

When Hinata finally stumbled into the kitchen the next morning, blearily rubbing her eyes, Neji barely contained the urge to snap at her for sleeping so late. After all, it was only a little after eight, and it really wasn't her fault that he was incredibly frustrated – and everything else aside, if he wanted her advice he really couldn't afford to alienate her.

"Would you quit glaring at me like that?" Hinata mumbled, after helping herself to a cup of coffee. Neji fought to even out his scowl as she settled herself at the counter, and simply stayed quiet as he waited for her to really wake up – Hinata was _not _a morning person.

Half a cup of coffee later Neji judged it safe to broach his request. He'd spent a lot of the time, while waiting for Hinata to wake up, deep in thought, and something Tenten had said really stood out in retrospect. She'd said that the dinner just hadn't been _him_. Neji couldn't shake the feeling that was where he had gone wrong, and what he really wanted from Hinata was an opinion about that.

Reluctantly Neji cleared his throat. Kami knew, he did not relish the prospect of discussing his private life with _anyone _much less someone he had to live with, and, therefore, couldn't avoid after the conversation had taken place, but he really had no choice. He opened his mouth and before he'd managed to form a coherent sentence, Hinata spoke up. "Okay, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Neji very nearly gaped – was he that transparent? Hinata grinned, "I may not be at my best first thing in the morning, but when _you _actually make coffee, I know something's up. Is it Tenten?" Hinata stared at him with barely masked curiosity as she took another slow sip.

The words simply wouldn't come, and Neji tried to hide his discomfort by ducking his head. "Hmm," he finally grunted. His cousin sighed, and her amusement was apparent when she replied, "Okay, I figured as much. I really can't help you unless you talk to me, but let me make a guess. You took her to dinner. I don't think you've ever gone to that much trouble for a girl, so I'm guessing that you really like her, and it's making your head spin."

Cautiously, Neji glanced up at her, thankful when her gaze was fixed firmly on her coffee. "Something like that," he admitted at last, and took a deep breath before saying in a rush, "She wants romance."

Hinata laughed out loud, her eyes lifting to fix him with an incredulous look, "And she thinks _you're _a good bet for that." She caught sight of the glare beginning to form on her cousin's face and quickly added, "No offence meant. It's just that the words 'romance' and 'Neji' are a little hard to pronounce in the same sentence."

Neji inclined his head, "Exactly." Then he sighed and decided to just get it over with. "I get the distinct impression that there's something I'm missing. The dinner idea didn't exactly work."

For a long moment Hinata stared at him searchingly, then she nodded, "Okay, I think I understand. Let's start at the beginning. Why are you doing this, Neji? I mean, why are you trying so hard for Tenten when there are a lot of girls out there that would come running if you just crooked your finger?"

He frowned in concentration, this was skirting dangerously close to an emotional discussion, but wasn't that what he needed to practice anyway? He took another deep breath and averted his eyes, "I guess I'm doing it because she's different from the girls who would just come running."

Hinata narrowed her eyes, "So she's just a challenge for you, then? Something you can't have, or that won't come easy, at any rate, and you can't abide not getting what you want?"

Neji's head jerked up, and his entire body tensed as he glared at his cousin across the table. Hinata coolly took another sip of her coffee, and the part of Neji that wasn't offended that she would think such things of him, marveled again at how much she had changed. "No, all right?" he finally hissed through clenched teeth, "I'm not doing it because I have to have my way all the time. She's different in that … she makes me … feel things." He nearly choked on the last sentence, but despite the blush heating his cheeks he kept his gaze firmly locked with Hinata's. He was damned if he'd let her intimidate him.

Suddenly Hinata smiled and nodded in satisfaction, and Neji was completely thrown off course by her change in attitude. She grinned happily at him, "Then I'm really happy for you, Neji. I think you guys are good together, so all you need to do is really mean it, and I'm sure the romance aspect will sort itself out."

"What do you mean I need to really mean it?" Neji asked in confusion. For the first time he fully appreciated that Hinata was female, and, therefore, given to inexplicable behavior and strange thought patterns. Hinata sighed in exasperation, "Neji, weren't you paying attention? You said that you were missing something and that's why your gesture, well-intentioned as it was, didn't have the romance you wanted it to have – you didn't really mean it." The look she leveled at him implied that he was a total imbecile, but Neji just continued staring at her as if she'd suddenly spoken in tongues.

Hinata groaned, "You really are clueless. Look, Neji, romance isn't about what you do or where you go or how much money and effort you spend. It's about a connection. Anything can be romantic - as long as the people involved feel it. A fancy dinner spent staring deeply into your date's eyes is not your style – so you couldn't get into it, and Tenten would've sensed that. If you really want to show her romance then share something of yourself – something you wouldn't share with anyone else. Romance is about making someone feel special – singled out. Get it?" she stared at him expectantly.

Slowly, Neji nodded, "So, if I want something to be romantic, it should be about sharing something with her that would be exclusively for us?" he hazarded a guess. Understanding was dawning, but he was still quite a ways from turning the new information into an actual plan.

Hinata nodded, "To a certain degree, yes. But it's more than that. It's more than just trying to set up a specific once-off situation. Romance is also about showing her how you feel. Translated into Neji-speak, that roughly means: open up. You need to do something that will convince her that she really means something to you – and to do that you have to share a little of yourself with her, Neji. That's all – show her that she's important enough to you that you want to trust her with the pieces of yourself you keep hidden from the world."

Neji really couldn't help himself at this point; he ducked his head, and firmly tried to ignore the intimate words Hinata had spoken. His cousin sighed, and he could hear her chair scraping back over the floor. At the door Hinata turned around and said, "Good luck, Neji. And thanks for the coffee."

* * *

Hours later Neji finally returned home. After his talk with Hinata he'd gone to his favorite meditation spot and spent a long time simply trying to sort out exactly what it was that he was trying to accomplish. Hinata had a point when she asked why he was doing this for Tenten. And, as much as he hated to admit it, her suggestion about opening up had scared the living daylights out of him. He just didn't know if he could do that.

Finally, he'd been honest with himself and admitted that he'd known that from the beginning – he'd known that he would have to open up. But, somehow, he'd clung to the hope that maybe it wouldn't be necessary. He'd pushed the idea to the back of his mind and hoped that it would go away if he ignored it long enough. Because the scariest thing was, there was a part of him that _wanted _to do it, wanted to share that kind of connection with Tenten.

The thoughts had chased around his mind for a long time until he'd given up on ever finding a logical answer, and so he'd begun listening to what his emotions were telling him. It was only then, when he'd faced everything he was feeling head-on, that the plan had begun to take shape, and once every detail had been hammered out, he had finally regained the peace he'd been sorely missing the last couple of weeks.

Now it was almost dark, and after a quick shower, Neji gathered his resolve, and firmly ignored the nerves that were twisting him up into knots. He left the house quickly, and as he walked to Tenten's apartment, he went over ever little detail in the plan – he was sure he hadn't forgotten anything, but just … in case.

* * *

Tenten had just finished clearing up after dinner, when the knock sounded at her door. Automatically, her nerves jumped, and she didn't know _how _she knew but she was sure it was Neji. Slowly, she made her way to the front door, and eased it open with more than a little disquiet. Why did it feel as if something big was about to happen?

Neji looked the way he always did, cool and composed – and _really_ hot, she couldn't ignore that, not now she knew exactly what those muscles felt like – but something about him seemed different. Tenten smiled cautiously, and waved a hand to invite him in, but he shook his head. "No, come with me," Neji smiled, almost shyly, "there's something I want to show you."

He held out his hand, and Tenten grabbed her keys off the hook by the door, somehow managing to lock the door one-handed. For some reason, despite the awkwardness, she really didn't want to let go of Neji's hand. Once she was done, she turned to look up at him expectantly, and was completely taken aback by the light-hearted smile he gave her. "Ready? We're in for a bit of a walk – if that's okay with you?" Neji stared at her questioningly, but Tenten merely nodded. "Then come on," he tugged at her hand, and led her out of the building, moving at a brisk pace, as if he couldn't wait to get to wherever it was they were going.

They kept walking, and soon the village was left behind as they entered the trees that surrounded it, angling toward the Hokage Mountain, and Tenten couldn't help but voice her curiosity. "Where are we going?" Neji merely grinned at her and shook his head. Abruptly he sobered, and giving her an intent look, he said, "You agreed to come, with no idea of what to expect. Why would you do that?"

Tenten shrugged, "You want to show me something and I want to see it – what's wrong with that? I trust you."

"Hmm," was the only reply she got, and Tenten gave up on trying to get an answer from him before she'd even begun. Clearly, he was in a very strange mood.

Eventually the trail they were following through the trees began to climb slightly, and when Neji placed a hand at the small of her back to help her over the darker parts, Tenten couldn't help but secretly revel in the contact. His touch quickly became addictive, much to her chagrin. She couldn't imagine how the girls he'd been involved with in the past could've let him go, though she didn't imagine they'd had a lot of say in that, and, for a moment, she was fiercely glad that Neji had left all of them behind, and that _she _was the one here with him now. Though what that meant from Neji's perspective she couldn't even begin to guess.

Tenten was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly walked into Neji when he stopped, and she quickly brought herself back to the present. They were facing a hill of some kind, a wall of rock covered in moss and vines. Neji glanced over his shoulder, and reached for a few of the vines, pulling them back to reveal a gap in the stone. Without looking at her again, he said, "Hold on to me. We're going through the cave. It's not deep – a few meters at most - but I don't want you walking into the walls and getting hurt."

Wordlessly, Tenten grabbed a handful of his shirt and allowed him to lead her into the darkness. He'd been right – it was only a few meters - but Tenten was glad nonetheless once they'd reached the other side. It had been dark and damp in there, and she hadn't even wanted to _think _about the possibility of bats.

Tenten waited curiously when Neji stopped again. He pointed at a thin trail that led between two large rocks just in front of them, winding up and over a small incline. Taking the gesture as an invitation for her to precede him, Tenten only shot him another curious look before walking forward. She crested the hill, hoping that this would be the end of their journey, and gasped in surprise when she saw what lay before her.

The trail led down the small incline on this side, and into a little valley. There was grass, and a gorgeous, old willow tree, its branches swaying peacefully over the burbling little brook that ran over the rocky bank. The entire scene was bathed in moonlight, and it was only when Tenten ran her gaze over everything a second time that she noticed the blanket that had been spread next to the tree. Quickly she whirled around to face Neji and nearly laughed when she saw the uncomfortable way he kept shifting from one foot to the other – clearly mentioning his thoughtfulness in supplying a blanket would only embarrass him so she decided to keep her peace on that score.

"Neji, it's - it's ... wow. I can't even describe it. It's beautiful! Where are we?" Tenten walked to the little stream, and dipped her hand into the water, shivering at the coldness. Neji relaxed visibly when she kept the topic neutral, and walked over to where she stood.

"We're up on Hokage Mountain, if you can believe that. How this place formed I don't know, but the stream is fed from underground and that keeps the tree and the foliage growing." He took her hand and pulled her up, then turned her around, and for the first time Tenten saw that, instead of a blank wall of stone, as she'd expected, the other side of the valley faced open sky.

"It's a high drop, but the view is incredible," Neji whispered into her ear, as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Tenten stood in awed silence, taking in the vast sky dotted with stars that spread in front of her – they were too far from the edge to see the village laid out below, so from here it seemed as if she would be able to walk among them if she left the ledge. She laid her hands over Neji's and whispered, "It's … just … how did you find this place?"

She frowned in confusion when she felt Neji tensing behind her, but the next second he'd taken a deep breath and relaxed. After a moment of silence he finally whispered back, "My father used to bring me here – when he was alive."

Tenten shifted in his arms, trying to turn around but Neji wouldn't let her. Frantically, she tried to think of a way to change the topic – or to apologize for stepping onto hallowed ground. Neji never spoke about his father –he hated even thinking about the past. But this time, he simply tightened his hold around her, rested his chin on top of her head, and whispered, "It's okay, Tenten. This time it doesn't matter – I decided to bring you here, knowing that you would ask questions I would find difficult to answer, so please, relax. I'm not angry at you."

Slowly Tenten relaxed, and when she finally leaned her head on his shoulder Neji dropped a light kiss onto her cheek, before leading her to the blanket. They sat down, and for a long time Neji simply stared at the stars before speaking, "When I was little, my father used to bring me here to teach me forbidden jutsu - the ones that were only meant for the head family. But he felt that I had talent and so he tried to teach me everything he'd ever managed to glean from his brother. I don't think anyone else has ever known about this place except for him – and then me. At least, I've never encountered anyone else here, or seen signs of their presence. After he died, I didn't come back here for a long time, but then it became my … refuge of sorts, a place I could practice, and a place that still retained some essence of my father. Later still, it became a place for meditation, when I had you and Lee to spar with, and Gai-sensei to supervise my training." He took a deep breath, then turned to Tenten and smiled peacefully. "Want to know a secret?"

For a minute, Tenten was silent – she was still trying to take in everything Neji had told her, and his abrupt change to a lighter tone was disconcerting, "Sure," she finally managed, unsure of what exactly he expected from her. Neji laughed a little and drew her down, so she was lying with her head on his chest, his arms securely around her. "Relax," he murmured again, "I don't bite – not unless you ask me to anyway." Tenten couldn't help but laugh with him as she swatted his arm in mock admonishment. Then she settled down with a sigh and gave herself over to the magic of her surroundings. She could see why Neji liked it here, there was _something - _an air of peace and an oneness with the universe - in this place that hovered somewhere between the earth and the sky.

For a long time they were silent, and Tenten was so caught up in the rhythmic beats of Neji's heart that she jerked in surprise when he spoke, "So, do you want to know the secret?" he asked, softly. Slowly, Tenten nodded, raising herself up onto one elbow to look in his eyes. Neji smiled and stared up at the sky as he began to talk about the stars, and the constellations, and the ancient myths and legends that surrounded them.

To say that Tenten was astounded would be an understatement, but soon she lost herself in the flow of his voice, and in the stories he painted for her. They lay like that for hours – with Neji talking and Tenten listening in rapt attention. Finally, he laughed and pushed her off, "I need water, and it's probably best I stop boring you before you fall asleep anyway."

Tenten rolled onto her stomach to watch him as he made his way over to the stream. "It's fascinating. I never knew you had such an interest in the stars," she admitted quietly, guiltily. It was only now that it occurred to her how little she really knew about Neji as a person, even after all these years.

He dropped down beside her again and shrugged, "I was totally obsessed with fate and destiny and all of that – it follows that I should have had a great deal of interest in the stars, and I stumbled across the old stories when I was researching it. Before I knew it, they'd captured my imagination to such an extent that I read everything about them that I could lay my hands on – and Tenten, don't look so guilty. It's not as if you could've known, or should've known, I've never told anyone before. I rarely told anyone anything if you recall," he grinned wryly down at her, "I was an arrogant bastard who would've put you in a coma if you'd dared to ask me about my interests, so it's no crime that you didn't."

"Like you would've been able to," Tenten retorted, but then she continued in a more serious tone, "Neji, I am sorry, though. Even if you wouldn't have allowed it, I should still have tried."

He looked very uncomfortable, and, for a moment, Tenten simply stared at him, before she gave up and admitted to herself that she had fallen for him somewhere along the line. Maybe some part of her had always been in love with him. Tenten took a deep breath, "Tonight, this, it's been amazing, and I completely retract my previous statements. You may not show it every day, and definitely not just to anyone, but you do have romance – and imagination - in you, and I'm sorry for ever doubting it – but why would you share that with me after all this time?"

Neji cocked his head to one side, as if considering her question, "Because you were worth it," he finally answered simply. "Because I wanted to, and, finally, because I trust you." Much to her horror, Tenten could feel the tears springing into her eyes, and she tried to hide them by ducking her head, allowing her hair to swing forward, but Neji's eyes rarely missed anything, and he sat bolt upright, something near to panic in his tone when he said, "Don't cry. Please. It's really not anything to cry over."

Tenten sniffed and smiled up at him through the tears, "It's happy tears, you idiot." Neji looked at her uncertainly, but seemed satisfied with her explanation when Tenten couldn't help but laugh at his expression. Slowly, he reached out and cupped her head, drawing her closer for a kiss that had her toes curling, as always.

The sparks quickly flared into a flame, and their kisses grew feverish as their hands roamed over every inch of skin they could uncover with quick caresses. Suddenly, Neji drew back and threw himself down next to her, a bent arm over his eyes, "What?" Tenten questioned, leaning over him to lay a trail of kisses along his jaw line. He groaned when her fingers wormed into the gaps between buttons of his shirt to trace patterns on his chest, "No, Tenten, stop." He reached down and grabbed her wrists in one hand, as he pushed himself up onto an elbow. "That is not what I was angling for. I didn't bring you here, and feed you some line so I could seduce you."

She allowed him to hold her hands prisoner but leaned forward to lick at his lips, "I know," she breathed across his mouth, before she sat back and looked at him seriously, "Neji, I was very naïve before. I thought that I wanted romance and candlelight and the whole charade. I had a very set idea about what romance should be, but I didn't realize what romance really was. Turns out, all I really want is you. Exactly the way you are. So, just trust me, I know what I'm doing." She didn't give him a chance to reply. In a smooth motion she straddled his hips and pulled her hands free. Tenten leaned forward to kiss him again, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and held her away.

Tenten sighed and sat back, waiting expectantly for whatever it was he had to say, "You wanted me regardless of romance and all of that?" he questioned. Tenten nodded patiently, and Neji continued, "Why would you want me if I was everything you _weren't _looking for?"

Tenten cocked her head to the side, as if considering his question, then she said softly, "Because you were worth it." Neji laughed at hearing his own words quoted back at him, and slid his hands down her arms to intertwine their fingers. "Tenten," he began seriously, "do you remember when we were fifteen and that boy asked you on a date?"

Tenten rolled her eyes, "You mean the one you beat the hell out of for 'interrupting your training'? How could I forget?" Neji stared at her intently, and Tenten sobered when she finally got the message that whatever he wanted to say about that incident was important. In silence she waited, until Neji opened his mouth and said slowly, "I lied. It had nothing to do with my training. Instead, it had everything to do with you – up till that point I'd never had to share you with anyone before and I discovered that I really didn't like the idea of starting. So I took him out of the equation - in a very typical fifteen-year-old-male-who-has-no-idea-what-he's-doing way. And I'm sorry it took me this long to finally follow through on that."

Tenten stared at him incredulously, and he continued quickly, motioning for her to be patient and hear him out. "I don't want you to feel pressured," Neji grimaced slightly, "I know I can be … overbearing … but I don't expect anything from you, Tenten. But if we start something here, there won't be anyone to interrupt us, no outside distractions to bring us back from the edge, so you have to be very sure that it's what you want, if you continue along this path. I know you haven't done this before, and I don't want you to have any regrets." With a deep breath, Neji let go of her and lay back down, staring at her with unreadable eyes, before he grinned playfully, "Now, by all means, proceed. You have my total cooperation."

Tenten laughed and leaned forward to whisper against his mouth, "I won't have any regrets. I think some part of me has always known that I would eventually wind up here with you. I think we were meant to be like this, and the part of me that knew that wouldn't let me settle for anything less." She grinned and bit his lower lip, enjoying the breath that hissed through his teeth in reaction, and suddenly, it seemed they were done talking. Neji reached up and wound a hand into her hair, pulling her down for a kiss that, very clearly, showed his intent was anything but pure.

Tenten moaned into his mouth, and he let go of her hair, his hands stroking down her back, travelling all over her body in fleeting touches. His hands swept up her ribcage to cup her breasts, and instinctively she rocked her hips against him, Neji's eyes flew open, and he wrenched his mouth from hers as he gasped for breath, his hands falling to her hips to hold her still. Tenten opened her eyes to look at him in confusion, and she couldn't stop the thrill running through her when she saw the look he was leveling at her. Desire blazed from his eyes, and in one smooth motion, he flipped her over and took back control.

She shivered when his eyes raked her from head to toe, as if he was deciding where to start undressing, but his hands were gentle when the traced a line down her throat, between her breasts, to rest on her stomach. Then his mouth was on hers again, and Tenten quite forgot about anything aside from the way it felt when he kissed her, and the way his hands slowly pushed the material of her shirt upwards, until they had to break the kiss so Neji could slide the garment over her head. She'd always thought she'd be embarrassed at being so exposed to another person's gaze but she found that she was rather enjoying the look on Neji's face as he brushed a hand down the middle of her body.

Finally, Neji had Tenten in a state of semi-undress, and he couldn't help the way he responded to the sight of her naked flesh - the part of him that wasn't totally dazed with passion wondered if she ever wore a bra, but the thought was fleeting, and already gone when he skimmed one hand gently down between her breasts. Unable to resist, and despite trying to reign himself in so that they could take it slow, Neji leaned forward to take one pebbled tip into his mouth, sucking lightly on her flesh as she cradled his head against her.

Tenten cried out, and arched off the ground, and Neji quickly decided that he could take it slow once she was _sans_ all the irritating clothing. Without lifting his mouth, he quickly undid the fastenings on her trousers, and then sat back to push them off of her legs. Finally, she laid spread before him, in only a lacy bit of nothing that he wouldn't even begin to contemplate right now - not when his control was so sketchy already – and Neji groaned before capturing her mouth in another desperate kiss. Tenten wrapped her arms around him, her legs parting automatically, as she invited his weight to settle onto her, and Neji quickly drew back to divest himself of most of his clothes, though he kept the boxers, for now.

Tenten panted into his hair, and drew her legs up, so he was pressed against her in the most intimate way, and the sound of his name falling from her mouth very nearly had Neji ripping the last barriers away so he could finally be inside of her. It required every bit of his willpower to slow down and kiss her softly. "No rush, Ten," he whispered into her mouth but he couldn't stop himself from rocking against her a little. Both of them groaned out loud, and then Neji drew back, lying more beside her than on top of her, and slowly kissed his way from her mouth, across her cheek, to finally trace her ear with his teeth.

His hands explored her in slow deliberate sweeps, ignoring the places he knew she wanted to be touched most. Intentionally, he kissed every bit of skin thoroughly before moving on to the next – every part of her had to be explored, after everything he wouldn't deny himself this pleasure - and he slowly licked and sucked his way down her neck – taking an almost primal pleasure in marking the soft skin.

When he reached her breasts, he brought his hands up to cup her while his tongue swirled and, by the time he'd finished his ministrations, Tenten was very nearly sobbing. Still, she tensed up considerably when he began to kiss his way up from her right knee to her inner thigh. He stroked soothing circles on her stomach as he inexorably made his way upward. Just before he could touch her with his tongue, even if it was only through fabric, Tenten grabbed fistfuls of his hair and dragged him up again.

Tenten writhed frantically beneath him, her hands running up and down his back, their tongues twisting together – all the while making those low, mewling noises in the back of her throat that had gotten him into trouble in the first place. He shifted off her again, turned her onto her side a little, as he coaxed her body against his, and resumed the heated kiss, while his hand slipped slowly down the side of her body, to rest on her hip. Neji could feel Tenten trembling, but the lack of tension in her reassured him that it was only from anticipation. Slowly, he slid his hand beneath the fabric that still covered her body. Tenten jerked in shock, or desire – he couldn't tell - but he quickly slipped his fingers lower, to find that little bundle of nerves that had Tenten arching off the ground, clutching at his shoulders for support, her eyes wide as she gasped for breath.

Neji kept his thumb in place rubbing in slow, soft circles, as he waited for Tenten to get her breath back. Soon, her head was tossing from side to side, and her hips were moving in time with the motion of his hand, and Neji let his hand fall lower. Tenten tried to jerk away, but with his weight half over her she had nowhere to go, and quickly Neji slid a finger into her before resuming his previous caresses. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she cried out, some garbled version of his name, and Neji could feel his own body twitching in response, straining against his boxers.

Quickly, Neji pulled his hand away from her body, ignoring Tenten's whine of protest, and dragged her last piece of clothing off roughly. Before she had a chance to begin feeling insecure, or embarrassed, Neji had resumed his teasing - his thumb tracing circles over the little nub of flesh, while, this time, he slipped two fingers into her wet heat. Tenten shifted, trying to adjust to the added pressure, but then he curled his fingers deep inside of her, and she wanted to scream at the almost unbearable pleasure, but was unable to push a sound past her lips, so she settled for panting desperately as she waited to see what he would do next. More than anything - with the possible exception of Neji inside of her - she wanted him to touch that spot again - the place that made her see stars.

She had quite forgotten that Neji knelt between her spread legs, his mouth uncomfortably close to his fingers, and it was a shock when his thumb was replaced with his tongue, but he moved it quickly, while his fingers were hitting all the right spots in rapid succession, and she forgot to feel embarrassed, and gave herself over to the sensations he was causing.

Her hands reached down to wind his long hair around her fingers as she pushed his head closer to her body, her hips moving in time with the thrusting of his fingers, and the heat gathered low in her belly. Her entire being yearned for that elusive, blissful feeling that, frustratingly, remained just out of reach. Finally, she realized that it remained out of reach because Neji was making it that way – without fail he took her right to the edge then drew her back, only to build the pressure again. Sobbing breaths were falling from her lips, and quite without thought, she gasped, "N-Neji, p-please … please …"

His head lifted from her body, and Tenten nearly cried at the loss. Neji laid his head on her stomach, and groaned softly, "Don't say things like that." Suddenly, he moved back down again, and this time his tongue took the place of his fingers, as he slowly drove her to the brink yet again. At last, it seemed that he had reached the end of his control as well, and in a swift movement he removed the last article of clothing that separated them, and covered her body with his own. Gratefully, Tenten held on to his shoulders, and for a long moment they simply stared at each other, breathing hard. Neji slowly pulled back and positioned himself, and, for the first time, there was a fleeting stab of fear when she felt him against her. Frantically, Tenten wondered how he would fit. This felt a _lot _bigger than his fingers, but at the same time it felt a lot warmer and harder, and, even through the fear, her body longed for that. Neji stared searchingly into her eyes, and ground out, "We can still stop."

With wide eyes Tenten stared back in silence, and then Neji dropped his head onto her shoulder burying his face in her neck, a ragged groan escaping him as he rocked his hips against her, granting her another small taste of ecstasy, "Please … don't make me stop now … you feel so good." The words sent a little thrill all along her spine, and, in lieu of a verbal reply, Tenten tilted her hips upward.

Neji grunted and bit his lip – obviously struggling to hold back - and lifted his head to look searchingly into her eyes. He must have found the permission he was looking for in her steady gaze, but Tenten was really only focusing on how he felt. With a smooth roll of his hips, he pushed into her with no warning. Tenten arched up, and cried out against the pain, as he tore through the thin barrier inside. Neji stilled and pressed soothing kisses all along her neck, murmuring words of comfort as he waited for her to adjust.

The pain was soon forgotten and her body began to react to the feel of his in a whole new way. Just when Tenten thought that no sensation could match the intensity of the last, Neji surprised her with something that felt even more incredible, and she slowly bucked her hips, letting him know that she wanted him to move again.

Neji pulled back and thrust into her again - shallow, gentle thrusts – and he gritted his teeth against the urge to simply slam forward until he lost himself inside of her. He soon had a steady rhythm going, and Tenten quickly caught onto the trick of moving her hips in time with his, allowing him to slide deeper with every plunge. Neji took that as a sign that there was no more discomfort, and, indeed, her eyes were so glazed over with pleasure he doubted she was aware of anything around her. So, finally, he was able to do the same, and he simply gave control over to his body – stopped thinking entirely.

His movements quickened, became harder. He didn't have his Byakugan activated – he hadn't wanted to take anything away from his other senses with advanced eyesight - so Neji was quite surprised when Tenten writhed violently beneath him and panted his name hoarsely, her eyes closed. As he hit that elusive spot inside of her again – committing it to memory – he thought vaguely that maybe Tenten had a point when she said this was meant to be. Much quicker than he wanted - he never wanted this to end - Neji felt Tenten trembling beneath him as slight tremors began to run through her body.

Tenten gasped, incoherent words falling from her lips, and the coil deep in her body stretched, and snapped when Neji hit that spot again. She held onto his solid form desperately as wave after wave of pleasure broke over her, and her cries echoed through the rocks surrounding the hidden valley. The feel of Tenten contracting strongly around him was too much, and Neji thrust into her almost too hard, once, twice more, before he followed her over the edge, buried to the hilt inside her slick warmth.

* * *

Tenten had no idea how long they lay tangled with each other like that, as their breathing slowly returned to normal. Her mind was completely blank. Vaguely, she thought that she'd been right to hold out for this. Neji stirred and rolled over, bringing her with him so she rested on his chest again, and, happily, she pressed an ear over his heart, listening to the reassuring thump. A smile lifted her mouth as she felt him ghost a kiss over her hair, and, even though she was fairly sure that this should be a quiet moment, she said, "I'm really glad I decided to give it a chance."

Neji laughed, a low rumble in his chest, "See? Told you I could change." His tone was smug, and Tenten couldn't let the opportunity pass – her years of trying to keep his overblown ego in check had resulted in a habit of teasing him that she just couldn't break. Even if she _had _wanted to. "Mmm," she agreed, cuddling closer and hiding her smile in his neck, "you've certainly proved that you can be romantic and warm and caring. But your supportiveness remains to be seen."

She nearly laughed when his entire body jerked with sudden tension. When his voice sounded, it was low, as if he was trying very hard to reign in his temper. "Do you mean to tell me, that after _everything_, you're still not satisfied?" Disbelief wound through the words and Tenten couldn't contain her amusement anymore.

Lifting herself up on one elbow up she hovered over him, ignoring the glare he directed at her, and brushed her mouth over his. Her tongue slid out to trace the seam of his lips and her hand trailed slowly down his chest. His breath caught and the glare disappeared. Tenten lifted her eyes to his, and giggled. Tilting her head as she mock-seriously considered the matter, she lowered her lashes and let her hand trail over his stomach to draw small circles on his hip, "I'm not sure supportiveness matters so much when it's weighed against _satisfaction_, though. What do you think?" Neji growled and moved so swiftly that the next thing she knew she was lying beneath him again, his voice vibrating pleasurably against her skin as he kissed her neck, "Maybe _satisfied _is the wrong word – shall I rather say that I can't believe that you still doubt me?"

Tenten laughed. "I only doubt you a little. I'm sure you can convince me otherwise-" her words were cut off when he captured her lips in another searing kiss.

"Do you want me to convince you or do you want to talk?" Neji murmured against her mouth.

She smiled into his kiss, and sighed as she wound her arms around his neck, "Convince away," she whispered.

~Fin


End file.
